Advice from Cheshire Police
Officers from Cheshire Police are working closely with the organisers, local authorities, parish councils and residents. Our main priorities are to ensure the safety of festival goers and to minimise disruption for residents during the event.
- Crime will be dealt with robustly and positive action will be taken
- Measures will be in place to deal with a variety of issues including crime and disorder, drugs and increased traffic around the site
- Extra officers will be patrolling the site and surrounding areas
- This event is for over 18s – wristbands will be given to ticketholders once they have provided satisfactory proof of age. The wristbands will be of a type that cannot be removed and transferred to other people. The Challenge 21 scheme will also be in operation on site – festival goers can expect to be asked for photographic proof of age.
Who Will Be There?
A variety of staff will be involved in the policing of the event over the Bank Holiday weekend. These will include Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, members of the Special Constabulary and police staff. The officers will be from across the Cheshire policing area and are an addition to those officers who are normally on duty so as not to interfere with normal policing operations.
The policing operation starts at 7pm on Friday August 27th and will run until around 2pm on Monday August 30th. Officers have been assigned to various roles during the weekend. Within the event officers will be carrying out a variety of tasks – including regularly patrolling the campsite to provide reassurance to campers and to deter thieves, deal with any incidents of crime and disorder and support the security staff.
Externally, officers will be involved with traffic management and policing in the local community that surrounds the site. The local policing inspectors that cover the area will be working throughout the weekend with a team of dedicated community officers to deal with any issues that arise and to minimise any disruption to local residents.
As well as the uniformed officers on the site and in the surrounding areas there will also be dog handlers, specialist investigators, search team officers and public order officers.
Where Will We Be Based?
As well as our work in the local community we will also be based on the site in Daresbury during the event.
There will be one police station set up on the site – this will be in the event arena. The police station will be staffed by officers and will be open to festival goers who will be urged to report any incidents during the weekend.
Senior officers on the site will co-ordinate the policing of the event in liaison with senior officers at the main police station in Warrington.
What Will We Be Doing?
Planning one of the force’s biggest events started months ago. The team is made up of police officers and police staff from different departments around the force bringing together experience from a number of different areas. Some of the team was involved in last year’s event, either in the planning or policing of Creamfields 2009 – others bring fresh ideas to the table.
The team is working hard behind the scenes to ensure there are robust plans in place to deal with crime and disorder, anti-social behaviour, noise and traffic issues as well as managing public safety and providing reassurance to festival goers and local residents.
As part of this planning process the team is working in partnership with the event organisers, security staff, other emergency services, local authorities, drug and alcohol support groups, local parish councils and residents.
There are many aspects of policing that has to be taken into consideration for this event. These include:
- Community policing
- Traffic management
- Drug drive testing
- Drugs liaison officers
- Search officers
- Specialist dog handlers
- Arena patrol officers
- Campsite patrol officers
- Public order officers
- Detective Investigators
- On-site Police Station staff
Officers will also be assisting security staff on site. They will be patrolling all parts of the site to offer reassurance to ticketholders, to deter crime and disorder and to ensure everyone has a chance to enjoy themselves. They will also be dealing with any incidents and helping the event organisers in the event of a major incident.
Keep Yourself and Your Belongings Safe
- Security will be tight – this event is ticket only and festival goers must be over 18
- Be aware of your surroundings – remember that you are safer in a group
- Look after your belongings – make sure you keep your mobile, iPod and wallet/purse safe and out of sight
- Don’t risk having your mobile snatched – use your phone in well-lit areas and keep it safe
- Do not have valuables in tents whether you are in the tent or not – please make use of the cloakroom, which is being provided by the event organisers – this will be available in the main arena during the event
- Do not leave valuable items on display in your car
Drugs and Weapons
Alcohol
The Challenge 21 scheme will be in operation on site – festival goers can expect to be asked for photographic proof of age
- Drink in moderation to ensure you remain alert and aware of your surroundings
- Don’t drink or use drugs and drive – you will be prosecuted
Make sure you have a designated driver arranged before the event who will stick to soft drinks
- Remember to drink plenty of water – especially if the weather is hot
- Please note that Halton and Warrington are ‘Alcohol Free Zones’ – this means that the drinking of alcohol in the street outside the event will not be tolerated. Police will take positive action against anyone found to be drinking in the street
Throughout the event Cheshire Police will be reinforcing ArcAngel – this is the police and its partners’ approach to tackling alcohol related crime and disorder bringing together all operational, educational and diversionary activity aimed at alcohol fuelled crime, behaviour and incidents. It will continue to drive the agenda to raise standards. Cheshire Police will continue to apply a variety of tactics to deal with those people who persistently fail to take responsibility for their actions where alcohol is concerned whether the behaviour relates to an individual, a premises or a place.
Local Community
- Remember that the site lies in a residential area
- Please be respectful towards neighbouring properties as you enter and leave the site
Positive action will be taken against anyone causing disruption the local community
Remember to follow traffic signs to the event – this will help to free up other roads in the area for residents
Only park in the designated car park. Any vehicles left unattended within tow-away zones will be removed
Please note that Halton and Warrington are ‘Alcohol Free Zones’ – this means that the drinking of alcohol in the street outside the event will not be tolerated. Police will take positive action against anyone found to be drinking in the street
Travel and Transport
Traffic
- Follow the designated routes to get to the event – road closures will be in place
- Remember not to rely on your satellite navigation system – follow traffic signs to get to the site
- Use junction 11 or 12 of the M56
- Stick to the speed restrictions – there will be pedestrians in the area
Parking
- Remember to use the main car parks available to ticket holders at the site
- Only use designated drop off/collection zones
- Don’t park on the street – your vehicle will be removed
Public Transport
- Please make use of public transport or there will be shuttle bus services running to the event from local areas. Details to be announced shortly.
Lost Property
- Lost property is being dealt with by the event organiser
- If you discover any lost property over the weekend please hand it into the lost property tent in the site
- If you want to report any stolen property please visit the lost property tent before reporting it to the police
Report a crime:
To report a crime during the event please visit the on-site police station, which will be in the event arena – this will be clearly signposted
You can also contact Cheshire Police on 0845 458 0000 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111